A Chinese province is becoming newlywed-friendly by offering longer marital holidays

HANGZHOU – East China’s Zhejiang province is becoming friendlier to newlyweds after extending its marital leave.

On Friday, the Standing Committee of the 14th People’s Congress of Zhejiang Province, the local legislature, passed a regulation extending paid marital leave from three to thirteen days.

The regulation entered into force on the same day.

Economic and social development and increased population mobility have led to an increase in the proportion of inter-city and inter-provincial marriages, accounting for about one-sixth and one-ninth respectively, said Wang Renyuan, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission.

As a result, the current three-day marital leave is difficult to cover in the time needed for premarital hearing, marriage registration, wedding banquet, travel from hometown to workplace and honeymoon trip, Wang said.

Wang said that across the country, 24 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have extended marital leave in line with local laws. In the Yangtze River Delta region, marital leave lasts ten days in Shanghai and 13 days in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

China’s provincial-level regions have autonomy in determining the length of marital leave, often influenced by local customs and demographic policies.

In response to demographic challenges, some regions have introduced generous benefits to encourage marriage and childbearing. For example, Shanxi Province offers newlyweds 30 days of paid marital leave.

“Since 2016, especially since 2023, there have been more and more public calls to extend marital leave,” Wang said. “Many deputies and political advisors of the People’s Congress at the provincial level also made relevant suggestions and proposals.”

Local authorities in Zhejiang also hope to encourage marriage and childbirth by extending marriage leave. In recent years, the voivodeship has seen a decline in the number of marriages, with people also marrying at an older age.

Local data showed that 301,000 marriages were registered in Zhejiang in 2023, down sharply from 442,000 in 2012. Meanwhile, the average age at first marriage for women increased from 24.2 to 27.5.

Under the new regulation, employees who legally register a marriage are entitled to 13 days of paid marital leave within one year of registering the marriage. Holidays and weekends are not counted.

With the employer’s consent, the validity period of marital leave could be extended by half a year. Trade unions at all levels should fully participate in consultations and effectively protect the rights and interests of workers and employers, said Lyu Zhiliang, a member of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Zhejiang Province.

Couples can take marital leave in one go or in stages, after consulting with the employer. People who got married less than a year before the adoption of the new regulation are still entitled to extended leave.

Extending marital leave will not necessarily increase the birth rate, but such policies, including longer marital leave and maternity leave, may have some impact on the operation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to Xu Ming’en, another member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Congress.

It is important to monitor the implementation of the regulation on SMEs and make every effort to protect the rights and interests of workers, while taking into account their actual situation, as they often employ a small number of workers, Xu said.